Machine for filling bags.



Patented Aug. 26., I902.

A. M. BATES.

MACHINE FUR FILLING BAGS (Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.)

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(No Model.)

ZZfiiw No. 707,544. Patented Aug. 26, I902.

A. M. BATES.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BAGS.

(Application filed Jun. 25, 1901.)

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Patented Aug. 26, I902.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.)

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(Nb Modal.)

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No. 707,544. Patented Aug. 26, I902.

A. m. BATES.

MACHINE FOB FILLING BAGS.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.)

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UTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADELME'R M. RATES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BAGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 707,544, dated August26, 1902.

Application filed January 25, 1901. Serial No. 44,681. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADELMER M. BATES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for FillingBags, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for bagging materials, and particularlyto machines for filling valve-bags.

It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is anend elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionon line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a cross-section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofa portion of the machine. Fig. 5 is a detail cross-section of thedischarge mechanism on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an edge view of thecam-board.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

A A are the timbers of the frame, consisting of suitable standards,uprights,and crossbars.

B is a pulley driven from the belt 3', adapted to rotate the shaft Bwhich is journaled in the bearing B and is connected by an eccentric Bwith the spring-pitman B ,which is secured at O to the saddle-likeportion,consisting of theinclined boards O O and the lower rocker-likepiece 0 resting upon the crossspriug O and preferably attached thereto.

0 C are the hinged bottom supports for the bag, and each is held inposition by the latch C on the spring CLwhich is secured to the upperpart of the board O. The pitman B finds a guide in the aperture 0 formedby the side O of the receiving hopper or chute. It is ob vious that anyother form of guide might be used and also that the pitman could bepivoted to the saddle-like piece. If not pivoted, it imparts a certainswinging or laterally vibratory motion. If pivoted and the partssuitably guided,the motion might be made wholly vertical. It is ofcourse substantially so in the form shown.

C O are the sides on the bottom support C The inclined board C, bottomsupport O", and sides C form a suitable pocket or supporting part forthe bag D. Obviously the rotation of the shaft 13* will impart a rapidvibratory motion to the bottom support, to the bags, and

It serves to keep such bottom support from swinging too far inwardlywhen the latch is released and also serves as a means for restoring itto the position indicated in Fig. 1. The end of each latch is placed inthe line of the excursion of the short lever D which has at its outerend a rod Dflwhich is secured at its lower end to the treadle D Thetreadle is pivoted at D, and a spring D is associated therewith torestore the treadle to its normal position. On the right-hand side ofFig. 3 the parts are shown in dotted lines in the position which theyassume when the treadle is operated and the bottom support permitted tofall down to discharge the bag into the hopper beneath. The bag strikesthe hopper side O and falls thence onto the side C and drops free fromthe bagging-machine. In full lines the parts are shown in the positionthey assume when by manipulating the strap D the bottom support islifted up, so

i as to be engaged by the latch. On the opposite side of Fig. 3 theparts are shown in the position they assume while the bag is beingfilled. The bottom support is preferably, as in the illustrations, in afixed relation with reference to the driving-shaft; but of course itcould be made adjustable along the pitman, the other parts beingcorrespondingly adjustable.

E E are filling tubes or funnels, supplied each with a clamp E, whichserves as a topbag support and which is preferably of spring materialand tends to gently rest against the end of the tube or funnel, so as tohold the empty bag D in position.

E is a reinforcing-spring attached to the slide E by the metal slat EThe slide E projects through the side piece E and is attached to thelever E, which is pivoted at E The attachment is made by means of thebolt E The parts E E E E and E are of course duplicated at each end ofthe machine, and the side pieces E E furnish the support:

.for the upper bottle-case, which has the bottom F, ends F F, top F Thebottle-case contains a series of bottle-like or funnel-like feeding andmeasuring devices F F The lower end or mouth of each bottle ispreferably surrounded by an adjustable rubber ring F and the mouthprojects down into a socket in the bottom F, where it may rest againstthe washer F By adjusting the ring F or by varying the thickness of thewasher F an individual adj ustment of the bottle may be obtained, andthus the lack of uniformity in the interior cross-section or the cubiccontents of the bottles can be reduced to a minimum. The bottle is openat the top, as indicated at F, where it passes through the top of thebottle-case F By means of the lever E the filling funnels or tubes E,with the slide E can be moved with reference to the bottles F. In theirnormal position they are in line with each other, so that the contentsof the bottle F passes through the tube E into the bag D; but when theslide E is moved a short distance they are thrown out of line with eachother, and the slide E serves as a.

valve to prevent the escape of the material from the bottles F Duringthis operation, however, the parts move along the fixed camboard G,which has a series of indentations or cut-away parts G G. These cut-awayparts are set in line each with one of the bottles F and are heldrigidly in this position. When, therefore, the bags are in position onthe filling tubes or funnels E E and such filling tubes or funnels arein line with their associated bottles F, the reinforcing-spring E isopposite one of the cam-surfaces G, and therefore is free to engage thelight spring E and cause it to firmly grip and hold the bag against thetube or funnel E. It is quite obvious that this portion of the devicecould be easily altered without greatly departing from the spirit of myinvention.

The particular detail which I have here sought to illustrate is that inwhich the bag is first lightly held by its upper support and is thensubsequently firmly attached in position. In reversing the action thefirm attachment is first released and then the bag when filled can pullaway from the light support by reason of its weight. The slides E itwill be observed by referring to Fig. 2, are so supplied with thesefunnel-like parts as to provide twice as many such parts as there arebottles. In other words, while one half of the funnels are in line withtheir respective filling-bottles the other half are disassociated withthe filling-bottles. In this position, by reason of the action of thecam-board as described, the bags which are being filled are tightly heldby the upper support, whereas the funnels not in use are in a positionwhere the attendant can easily attach the bags to their respectivefunnels by means of the light attachment or support. When the bags havebeen filled, the lever E is operated so as to carry the funnels to oneside, cutting off the connection between each funnel and the bot tle,and the further operation of the machine brings the unfilled funnels andunfilled bags into position under their respective fillingbottles afterthe filled bags have been discharged and the bottom-support restored toits normal position. I have spoken of the devices F as bottles. They arepreferably of glass and in the form of inverted bottles with the bottomsremoved; but they may of course be made of difierent material and ofdifferent shapes from those shown.

Some difficultysometimes occurs on account of the tendency of thematerial being bagged to pack in the supply-Ways. This is true evenwhere long funnels are used or where the tubes are made comparativelythe same in cross-section for a long distance. To obviate the tendencyto pack, I have provided a series of agitators or stirrers, one for eachbottle, for in the form of device here shown it is at the mouth of thebottle where the greatest tendency for the material to pack is found.The particular agitator which I have shown is a piece of wire J, whichstands upright in the mouth of the bottle, projecting up into thebottle. It is then bent at J, running across through a groove in thebottom piece F, is then turned up at J and at J is attached to aslide-bar J between the two rows of bottles. This bar is supported inthe end plates F F and pivoted at J to the elbow-crank lever .1, whichis pivoted at J to the arm J which projects from the cross-piece Theelbow-crank lever is provided with a series of adjustment-holes Jwhereby it is pivoted at J to the rod J which is slotted at J to permitof the adjustable attachment by the bolt J to the arm J on thesaddle-like part when attached to the pitman. Obviously the action ofthe pitman, while it is operating the vibrator or series of devicesintended to impart a vibratory motion to the bags, will at the sametime, through the mechanism which is described, operate the agitators orstirrers within the bottles to keep the material from packing. Theadjustment at J is necessary to disengage the rod J and the arm J whenthe funnels and their associated bottles are to be vertically adjusted.

The frame-standards A A are slotted at K K at each end of the machine,and bolts K K pass through said slots, whereby the crosspieces E E maybe secured at any position along the slots, and with them the funnels,bottles, and bottle-case. This entire collection of parts is intended tobe adjustable vertically, the means for moving these parts beingassociated with the hopper mechanism ries of apertures and adapted eachto be moved back and forth in the hopper by means of the lever L whichis pivoted at L and attached by the bolt L to such cut-off slide L Thisslide of course operates as a valve for the several tubes leading out ofthe hopper. There is one such slide and series of tubes for each seriesof bottles, with of course in each case and at each end a similaroperating mechanism. The hopper is provided with bolts L L, which areassociated with the vertical slots L U, so that the hopper and itsassociated parts can be secured adjustably at varying distances alongthe vertical line. At each end of the hopper are latches L adapted toengage the eyes L L on the end pieces of the bottle-case.

M is a shaft, there being one at each end of the machine, having each aWindlass M and a metal wheel M associated with the locking-dog M On theshaft is coiled the cable M*, which is secured to the bottom of thehopper. Thus by winding the shaft the hopper may be lowered, if thebolts L are loosened, until the latches L can be put in engagement withthe eyes L". It now the bolts K K are loosened, the whole upper por tionof the machine may be lowered along its standards until the funnels arebrought to the proper distance from the relatively fixed receptacles orbag-supports. The bolts K K will now be set so as to fix the funnels andbottles in position. The latches L are now freed from their respectiveeyes, and by re versing the motion of the shafts M the hop per can beraised. This motion will continue until the material contained in thebottle F and the tube L up to its valve is exactly the amount requiredto fill the receptacle. It is obvious that by raising or lowering thehopper and tubes more or less this amount of material may be varied, or,in other words, there is here an easily-operated measuring device. Whenthe proper point has been reached, the bolts L are set and the parts arethen in position to operate so long as the same material is being usedand the same receptacles are being filled. There is cornmonly anoperator on each side of the machine to operate one set of fillingdevices. A bag is then attached, being held by the light spring to eachalternate funnel, the hopperslides L are moved, and the material flowsin and fills the bottle and tube. Then the slides are restored to theirnormal position and the supply is cut off. The funnels are moved withthe slide E into position, so that those holding the bags are underneaththe filled bottles, and the heavy spring then forces the lighter springtoward the filling tube or funnel and firmly holds the bag by its uppersupport. l'Vhile the bags are being filled, a series of bags are beingput on the intermediatefunnels. Theslidescontainingthefum nels are thenmoved in the opposite direction, thus throwing the filled bags and theirfillingfunnels out of line with the filling-bottles,

.in somewhat general terms.

cutting off the lower ends of the filling-bottles, and freeing the heavysprings of the upper support. By operating the treadle D the lowersupport or the hinged portion of the lower or bottom support is freedand the weight of the bag forces the same down. The bag falls out and infalling its contents are sharply forced toward the valve end, thusseating or closing the valve. This is very desirable where valve-bagsare used, though many features of my invention and many of its severalfunctions or operations would be equally applicable to bags other thanvalvebags or, indeed, to receptacles other than bags. This dropping ofthe bag, however, is particularly important in the case of valvebags.

It will be readily understood that the mechanis'm which I have shown anddescribed can be greatly varied in many important respects and innumerous details without departing from the spirit of my invention, andI wish, therefore, to describe said mechanism and the functions andoperation of its several parts mechanism may be, broadly considered, theentire mechanism from the supply, wherever it may be, whether in thehopper or elsewhere, to the bag or receptacle. The measuring device isin a sense a portion of such feedingmechanism. Thevalvearrangement forthe admission of the material into the upper measuring-tube and also forretaining the material in the lower measuring tube or part may bearranged in any desired manner. I have shown an arrangement which isquite satisfactorily applicable in the case of a ma chine of the generalconstruction shown. This measuring apparatusis of course entirelyapplicable to the measurement of any The feeding 1 such materials asthose referred to and without regard to the character of the receptaclesin which the materials are to be received.

The agitator, which frees the material in the feed mechanism or stirs itat the points in the passage-ways where it would be inclined to pack,may be of any desired form, as, for instance, that of a screw; but Iprefer the oscillating wire.

I have spoken of a tube in various places, meaning sometimes thereby toinclude also the tunnel or the funnel-shaped receiving portion of themeasuring device. These several. parts can of course be shaped in thevarious ways; butIprefer those parts which are round in cross-sectionand at certain'places funnelshaped, as indicated. 7

The upper support and the lower support of the bag are arranged withmeans for releasing them, and these means may be simultaneously orseparately operated.

I have spoken throughoutthespecification of valve-bags, by which I meanto indicate bags where the space through which the material is admittedis relatively smallthat is,

.bags where the material is not introduced through an opening as largeas the cross-section of the bag-and by speaking of introducing thematerial in a relatively small stream I have reference to the same idea.

Obviously my invention is applicable to numerous bags where theapertures for the in-' I used this term as a convenient term todesignate the class of bags which are filled through a comparativelysmall aperture. On the other hand, many features of my invention areapplicable to receptacles other than bags.

The vibration or vibratory action given to the bag or receptacle or itssupport, as the case may be, or intended to be given to the contents ofthe bag or receptacle is such a vibration as will produce the result ofbreaking down the pyramid of material which tends to form within the bagand of filling out the material into the corners or the outer portionsof the bag and to fill the upper portion of the bag and freeing thedischarge end of the filling-tube from the material. It may be a lateralor vertical vibration or a combination of the two. In the machine shownthe direct vibration is vertical; but there is an incidental lateralvibration and the bag in a certain sense dances about on its lowersupport.

Preferably the vibration is so rapid that the bag is frequently freefrom its support or, in other words, is tossed in the air. a Theplatform descends more rapidly than the bag, for its descent ispositive, while the bag responds only to the action of gravity and is ina certain degree retarded by its upper support. It therefore is freefrom its bottom-support, and the bottom-support quickly rising strikesthe bag and tosses it upward. The excursions of the bag and its supportare of course not very extended, but the action is substantially asdescribed.

When the bags are all full,they can be simultaneously 0r successivelyfreed at bottom and top, whereupon they fall down and the materialwithin them is given a sharp thrust toward the valve to close it. Ofcourse when receptacles other than valve-bags are under treatment thislatter action would have to be dispensed with. The arrangement is suchthat the lower supports are immediately restored to their normalpositions. The upper support of the bag, if placed near the dischargeend of the supply-tube and if placed where in the process of filling thematter within the bag approaches the lower end of such supportingattachment, it will force the material of the bag down into the materialand by reason of the rapid vibration of the nearly-filled bag 7 willspeedily punch a hole through the material and ruin the bag. It is toavoid this difficulty that I have placed the bag preferably with onecorner up and with the upper sup port above the lower end of thedischargetube, so that this punching action against the material withinthe bag never takes place. A very small portion of the bag justbelow'the upper support is left unfilled. This is only necessary wherethe material of the bag is very flimsy. This small portion of the bagabout and below the upper support is left unfilled for two reasons;First, because if it is allowed to fill up the upward and downwardmotion of the upper support and funnel will destroy the fabric of thebag about the valve. This is true because the bag is made of thin weakmaterial heavily starched, and if there is any downward punching againstthe mass of material within the bag the starch is broken and the fabricweakened, so that there is danger of leakage about the valve. Second,because .if this space is left slightly unfilled there is room for thematerial within the bag to move en masse toward the Valve end, and thusbetter seat the valve. For these reasons the excursion of the vibratoris so relatedto the distance from the end of the feeding-tube to thepoint where the bag is clamped that when the bag is thus nearly fullthis unfilled portion will be a small portion about the valve andfunnel, and it will have a collapsible or accordion-like movement, sothat none of the goods will ever be stretched across a surface ofcompact salt or material within the bag.

The measuring device is intended to make it easy to determine bymeasurement, the correct amount of material to supply to fill thesebags. It is also desirable to adjust the parts to suit different sizesof bags. For example, if a bag of three pounds is to be filled thedistancebetween the lower support and the upper support should be, say,ten inches. With a bag of five pounds it should, perhaps, be twelve orthirteen inches. To secure asuflicient amount of material to fill athree-pound bag, the upper of the two telescopic tubes will be left welldown in the lower, while to fill a five-pound bag it would be raisedconsiderably. The parts are set so that the cubic contents of the uppertelescopic tube and the lower telescopic tube up to the point to whichit will fill will be just sufficient to contain three or five pounds, asthe case may be, of material in question.

It will be understood that the filling tubes or funnels are arranged, asit were, in two groups, each group consisting of the alternate funnelsor tubes. They could of course be arranged in groups of each third orfourth funnel if under any conditions such arrangement became important.The funnel or tube is a portion of the supply-passage, and thepartimmediately above it is of course another portion. For convenience Ihave referred to this latter part as being a supply-section, so as todescribe and claim its operation in connection with the funnels beneathit. The

top support I call a duplex support or group, for it is composed of twoparts, one of which has a light grip or clamp action, and the other astrong or heavy grip or clamping action.

The wavy cam, as explained, presents a series of waves, and the lengthsfrom one swell to the other is in this case twice the distance from onefilling tube or funnel to the next, so that when one of the heavy clamping devices is opposed to or in operation with the swell of the cam theother is in the interval between such swells, and thus one set of heavysupporting devices is operated while the other set is thrown out ofoperation. This result can be accomplished by the motion of the cam orthe motion of the funnels.

The devices for tripping the bag-supporting parts, so as to throw thebags out when they are filled at the will of the operator, I woulddescribe under the general term of trip mechanism operable at will.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination ofa feed mechanism whereby thematerial is introduced into the bag in a relatively small stream, withan upper support whereby the bag is secured at its upper end whileopen,abottom-support whereby the bag is supported at its lower end, andmeans for positively moving and thus releasing both supports to free thebag.

2. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination ofa feed mechanism whereby thematerial is introduced into the bag in a relatively small stream, withan upper support whereby the bag is secured at its upper end whileopen,a bottom-support whereby the bag is supported at its lower end, avibrator of which the bottom -support forms part, and means for movingand thus releasing both supports to free the bag.

In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranularsubstance, the combination of a feed mechanism whereby thematerial is introduced into the bag in a relatively small stream, withan upper support whereby the bag is secured at its upper end, abottom-support whereby the bag is supported at its lower end, and meansfor simultaneously or successively moving and thus releasing thesupports to free the bag.

4. In a machine for filling bags or recepta- 5. In a machine for fillingbags or receptacles with a powdery or granular substance, thecombination of a feed mechanism whereby the material is introduced intothe bag in a rela-- tively small stream, with a duplex upper supportwhereby the bag is secured at its upper end with a variable grip, abottom-support whereby the bag is supported at its lower end, and meansfor positively moving and thus releasing the supports to free the bagand for successively releasing the two parts of the duplex uppersupport.

6. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powderyorgranularsubstance, the com bination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance to be treated is fed into the bag in a relatively smallstream, withbag-supports separated so as to leave the sides of the bagloose, the upper support adapted to hold the bag near one corner, thelower support adapted to receive one side and the bottom of the bag,mechanism for tilting the bottomsupport to discharge the bag when it isfull, and mechanism for vibrating such tilting bottom-support.

7. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance to be treated is fed into the bag in a relatively smallstream, with bag-supports, the upper support adapted to hold the bagnear one corner, the lower support adapted to receive one side and thebottom of the bag, and a mechanism for vibrating the bag and its'lowersupport by a positive downward and upward motion in a line through thelower corner of the bag and at an angle to its length.

8. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance to be treated is fed into the bag in a relatively smallstream, with bag-supports, the upper support adapted to hold the bagnear one corner, the lower support adapted to receive one side and thebottom of the bag, mechanism for vibrating the bag and its lower supportbya positive upward and downward motion in a line through the lowercorner of the bag and at an angle to its length, the upper supportcomprising a clamping device which clamps the exterior of the bag to thefilling-tube near the upper corner of the bag and above the dischargeend of the fillingtube within the bag.

9. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the

combination of a feeding mechanism adapted the upper part of the bag isretained in proper relation to its filling-tube, and a positive releasemechanism to release the bag from its tube, said release mechanismbeingindependent of the trip mechanism, so that the bag may be releasedat the top and its support removed from the bottom simultaneously orotherwise.

10. In a machine for filling bags or recepta cles with apowdery orgranular substance, the combination of a bag-support with a feedmechanism comprising a relatively small tube-like part which leads fromthe supply to the bag, and an agitator within the passage from thesupply to the bag, said agitator consisting of a long, thin, flexiblewire, and means external to the tube for rapidly oscillating said wireso that by such oscillation and the flexibility of the wire it is keptin violent agitation and the contracted feeding passage thus kept free.

11. In a machine forv filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a bag-support with a feedmechanism comprising a relatively small tube-like part which leads fromthe supply to the bag, and an agitator within the passage from thesupply to the bag, said agitator consisting of a long, thin, flexiblewire, means external to the tube for rapidly oscillating said wire sothat by such oscillation and the flexibility of the wire it is kept inviolent agitation and the contracted feeding-passage thus kept free,said'passage-way from the feed-supply to the bag being practicallycontinuous, and the agitator projecting through the wall of saidpassage-way.

12. In a machine for filling bags or recepta cles, the combination of abag-support for holding the bag while it is being filled, a vibratingpitman to which it is secured and whereby it is supported directly abovethe nected with said wire and vibrator to keep both in operationsimultaneously.

14. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of asupporting-frame with a supply-hopperdischarge portion verticallyadjustable on the frame, a bag-supporting device on the frame, a seriesof devices for receiving the material from the hopper-dischargingportion and conveying it to the bag, said series of devices verticallyadjustable along the supporting-frame and containing parts which, withthe discharge portion, form a measuring device adapted to be'varied bythe adjustment of the hopper-discharge portion with reference to thedevices which receive the material from the hopper-discharge and conveyit to the bag, and a Windlass on the frame connected with thehopper-discharge portions so as to raise or lower the same. I

15. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of asupporting-frame with a supply-hopper-discharging portion verticallyadjustable on the frame, a bag-supporting device on the frame, a seriesof devices for re ceiving the material from the hopper-dischargingportion and conveying it to the bag, said series of devices verticallyadjustable along the supporting-frame and containing parts which, withthe discharge portion, form a measuring device adapted to be varied bythe adjustment of the hopper-discharge portion with reference to thedevices which receive the material from the hopper-discharge and conveyit to the bag, a Windlass on the frame connected with thehopper-discharge portions so as to raise or lower the same, and meansfor attaching the devices which receive the material from thehopper-discharge portion and convey it to the bag to the hopperdischargeportion so that both can be moved simultaneously with the action of suchwindlass.

16. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of areceptacle-support with a receptacle-supplying passage-way, an agitatorin the said passage-way to keep the material from packing, a drivingmechanism, and connections from the receptacle-support and agitator tothe driving mechanism,whereby the receptacle-support is rapidly vibratedand the agitator rapidly operated to keep the passage free and fill thereceptacle.

17. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of areceptacle-support, having a hinged bottom, with a driving mechanism anda connection from the same to the support, whereby the latter is rapidlyvibrated, a spring-support for the receptacle-support, and tripmechanism whereby the hinged bottom is operated to discharge the filledreceptacle.

18. In' amachine for filling receptacles, the combination of aseries offilling tubes or funnels with a series of supply-sections associatedtherewith, there being twice as many filling tubes or funnels assupply-sections, and means for moving the supply-sections and funnelswith reference to each other so that each supply-section is alternatelyplaced in connection with one and then another of the filling tubes orfunnels.

19. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of a series offilling tubes or funnels with a series of supply-sections associatedtherewith, there being twice as many filling tubes or funnels assupply-sections, and means for moving the supply-sections and funnelswith reference to each other so that each supply-section is alternatelyplaced in connection with one and then another of the filling tubes orfunnels, the parts arranged so that the supply-section is closed at thebottom during the period intervening be- IIO tween its connection withone tube or funnel and the next. I

20. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of. a seriesof filling tubes or funnels with a series of supply-sections associatedtherewith, there being twice as many filling tubes or funnels assupply-sections, and means for moving the supply-sections and funnelswith reference to each other so that each supply-section is alternatelyplaced in connection with one and then another of the filling tubesorfunnels, the parts arranged so that the supply-section is closed atthe bottom during the period intervening between its connection'with onetube or funnel and the next, and means for filling such supplysectionwhen so closed.

21. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a series offilling tubes or funnels, with a'series of clamps adapted to clamp thebag against the side of such tube or funnel, and a cam device adapted tosimultaneously release a series of such clamps.

22. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a series offilling tubes or funnels, with a series of clamps adapted to clamp thebag against the side of such tube or funnel, and a cam device adapted tosimultaneously release a series of such clamps, said tubes or funnelsarranged in series, each series consisting of each alternate funnel, andsaid cam device adapted to release the clamps associated with each ofsaid series alternately.

23. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a series offilling tubes or funnels, with a series of weak clamps, one for eachtube or funnel, and a series of strong clam ps, one for each funnel, anda controlling device whereby the strong clamps are alternately thrown inand out of action in groups.

24. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a series offilling tubes or funnels, with a series of clamps, and a longitudinalwavy cam device associated with said clamps, each successive swell ofthe cam being opposed to the second filling tube or funnel, and meansfor moving the filling tubes orfunnels and cam device with reference oneto the other, so that the clamps are operated to release or secure thebag in alternately-acting groups.

25. In a machine for filling valve bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination ofa feed mechanism, comprising afeeding-tube, whereby the material is introduced into the bag, with anupper support for said bag forming part of the feeding-tube andcomprising a part which bears against the inside of the bag near thetop, and an outer part opposed thereto which bears against the outsideof the bag near the top, said outer part adapted to clamp the ma terialof the bag against the part Within the bag and above. the lower end ofthe feed-tube within the bag, a support for the bottom of the bag, avibrator adapted to give the bag an up-and-down motion, the excursionof,

such vibrator related to the distance from the end of the feeding-tubeto the point where the bag is clamped so that when the bag is nearlyfull the upper part of the bag about the feeding-tube will be free tohave an accordion-like movement to prevent injury to against the outsideof the bag near the top,

said outer part adapted to clamp the material of the bag against thepart within the bag and above the lower end of the feed-tube within thebag, a support for the bottom of the bag, a vibrator adapted to give thebag a laterallyvibratory motion, the excursion of such vibrator relatedto the distance from the end of the feeding-tuhe to the point where thebag is clamped so that when the bag is nearly full the upper part of thebag about the feeding-tube will be free to have an accordionlikemovement to prevent injury to the material of the bag.

27. In a machine for filling valve bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of afeed mechanism, comprising afeed-tube, whereby the material is introduced into the bag, with anupper support for said bag forming part of the feeding-tube andcomprising a part which bears against the inside of the bag near thetop,and an outer part opposed thereto which bears against the outside ofthe bag near the top, said outer part adapted to clamp the material ofthe bag against the part within the bag and above the lower end of thefeed-tube within the bag, a support for the bottom of the bag, avibrator adapted to give the bag an lip-anddown and a laterallyvibratorymotion, the excursion of such vibrator related to the distance from theend of the feeding-tube to the point where the bag is clamped so thatwhen the bag is nearly full the upper part of the bag about thefeeding-tube will be free to have an accordion-like movement to preventinjury to the material of the bag.

28. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance to be treated is fed into the bagin a relatively smallstream,with. bag-supports adapted to support the bag so as to leave its sidesrelativelyloose, and avibrator comprising the bottom support, a rodtherefrom, and an eccentric wherebya rapid vibratory motion is impartedto the bag and contents, the rod being pivoted below on such eccentricand attached above to the bottom support, and a spring device actingoutwardly and in the line of the pitman away from its IIO pivot and soas to hold the pitman in position.

29. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance is fed into the bag in a relatively small stream, withbag-supports adapted to support the bag so as to leave its sidesrelatively loose, and a vibrator which contains a spring member andwhich imparts a rapid laterally-vibratory motion to the bag and contentsand thus breaks down the pyramid or column of material within the bag.

30. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance is fed into the bag in a stream much smaller than thecross-section of the bag, with bag-supports adapted to support the bagso as to leave its sides relatively loose during the process of filling,and a vibrator which contains a spring member and which imparts a rapidvertical motion to the bag and contents and thus breaks down the pyramidor column of material in the bag.

31. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with apowdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby thesubstance is fed into the bag in a relatively small stream, withbag-supports adapted to support the bag so as to leave its sidesrelatively loose, and a vibrator which contains a reciprocating and aspring member and which imparts a rapid combined vertical and lateralvibratory motion to the bag and contents and thus breaks down thepyramid or column within the bag.

32. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance,

the combination of a feeding mechanism whereby the substance is-fed intothe bag in a stream much smaller than the cross-section of the bag, withbag-supports adapted to support the bag so as to leave the sidesrelatively loose during the process of filling, and a vibrator whichincludes the bottom support for the bag and a spring member, and whichis adapted to impart a rapid motion to the bag and contents so as tobreak down the pyramid or column of material within the ba In a machinefor filling bags or receptacles with a powdery or granular substance,the combination of a feed mechanism whereby the substance is fed intothe bag in a stream much smaller than the cross-section of the bag, suchmechanism containing a funnel ortube which projects down into the bag,with bag-supports to support the bag so as to leave its sides relativelyloose during the process of filling, and a vibrator which contains aspring member and which has arapid positive upward-and-downward motionaided by said spring member so as to impart a rapid motion to the bagand contents.

34. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance,

the combination of a feed mechanism adapt ed to introduce the materialinto the bag in a relatively small stream, with a bottom support for thebag and a top support for the bag, the two separated from each other soas to leave the sides of the bag loose, and nonautomatic trip mechanismfor the bottom support whereby the latter may be removed at the will ofthe operator to permit the bag to fall when the operator so desires.

35. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with a powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feed mechanism adapted tointroduce the material into the bag in a relativelysmall stream, with abottom support for the bag, a vibrator of which the bottom support formspart, and a trip mechanism for such vibrator-support whereby the lattermay be removed to permit the bag to fall. i

36. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles, the combination of abag-filling device with means for supporting the top of the bag and abag-support for the bottom of the bag and a spring-support on which thebag-support rests while the bag is being filled, and a vibrator to givesuch bottom support a rapid vibratory motion while the bag is beingfilled.

37. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles, the combination of abag-filling device with means for supporting the top of the bag and abag-support for the bottom of the bag and a spring-support on which thebag-support rests while the bag is being filled, and a vibrator to givesuch bottom support a rapid vibratory motion while the bag is beingfilled, said vibrator consisting of a pitman secured to the lowerbag-support and moving in one direction in opposition to thespring-support.

38. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles, the combination of abag-filling device with means for supporting the top of the bag and abottom support for the bag, springbars upon which bottom-support rests,and a vibrator which tends to move the bag-support up and down while thebag is being filled.

39. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles, the combination of abag-filling device with means for supporting the top of the bag and abottom support for the bag, spring-bars upon which bottom support rests,and avibrator which tends to move the bag-support up and down while thebag is being filled, said vibrator consisting of a pitman secured to thebag-support and working substantially at right angles to the length ofthe spring-bars.

40. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles, the combination ofmeans for filling the bags with an upper bag-support for holding the bagwhile it is being filled, a lower bag-support for holding the bag whileit is being filled, a pitman rigidly attached to the lower bag-supportat one end and driven by an eccentric at the other end so as to give thebag-support a combined vertical and lateral motion, and a spring-supportwhich operates upon the bottom bag-support in the direction outwardlyalong the line of the pitman while the bag is being filled.

41. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of asupporting-frame with a supply-hopper-discharging portion verticallyadjustable on the frame, a bag-supporting device on the frame, a seriesof devices for receiving the material from the hopper-dischargingportion and conveying it to the bag, said series of devices verticallyadjustable along the supporting-frame and containing parts which, withthe discharge portion, form a measuring device adapted to be varied bythe adjustment of the hopper-discharge portion with reference to thedevices which receive the material from the hopper-discharge and conveyit to the bag, and means for connecting such series of devices with thehopper-discharging portion so that the two can be vertically adjustedtogether on the frame.

42. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of a suitablesupport for the receptacle, with a discharge part to discharge thematerial into the receptacle, a supply part to contain the supply ofmaterial, a measuring device interposed between the disi charge and thesupply, and consisting of two telescopic portions, a means for adjustingthe 1 two telescopic portions with reference to each other, means forvarying the distance between the support and the discharge, and meansfor adjusting the supply part and the discharge part simultaneously withreference to the support forthe receptacle.

43. In a machine for filling receptacles, the combination of areceptacle-support with a discharge device adapted to discharge thematerial into the receptacle, anda supply de vice adapted to hold thesupply, a measuring device comprising two telescopic parts, oneassociated with the discharge device, and the other with the supplydevice, and means for adjusting the supply part and the discharge partsimultaneously with reference to the support for the receptacle.

44. In a machine for filling bags or receptacles with powdery orgranular substance, the combination of a feed mechanism adapted tointroduce'the material into the bag in a relatively small stream, with abottom support for the bag and a top support for the bag and tripmechanism operable at will for the bottom support whereby the latter maybe removed at the will of the operator to permit the bag to fall whenthe operator so dosires.

ADELMER M. BATES.

Witnesses:

. ARTHUR BROWNING,

FRANCIS W. PARKER.

